recommended lens for low light shooting

[percy]

hi guys!

i would like to ask what lens would you recommend for low light shooting, say like shooting at night in east coast.
would really like to have a fast focusing lens suited for low lioght conditions.
thanks in advance! 

[Denosha]

Erm.. low light shooting of what? As in what kind of stuff you want to shoot?

[Michael]

Night Shooting:
Any lenses at F11 approx, mounted on a tripod.
Using ISO 100 or 200 to achieve low noise, try out various shutter speeds to get what you like.

Of course if you want to focus easily, get a lens with its widest aperture around F1.4 to F2.8.
However, night shots? You're best manual focusing or leaving it around infinity.

Also, check out the number of diaphragm blades in the lens.
The more there are, the better the bokeh.

[evershine]

What is your budget?

[hwchoy]

What Michael said is only good for stationery subjects and tripod mounted shots. for low light moving subjects such as indoor sports, stage performance, runway show etc, you will need ultra-fast primes or fast zooms, depending on the shots you need to cover.

[Denosha]

Hur hur. Thus the question: "what kind of stuff you want to shoot". 

[hwchoy]

precisely.

[percy]

hi!
thanks for your response.
i've been busly lately at work and was not able to log in as much.
anyway, i would normally shoot stage performances or events such as parties.
a fast focusing lens is really an advantage.
budget? hmm...maybe 2k at most.

[victor]

Try the 70-200 F2.8 non IS(Stage) or the 16-35 mkI for parties.

[evershine]

All prices are estimate... narrow down to 3 choices.. depending on ... what camera you have and .....do you have an external flash?

EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II : $2200
EF 17-40mm f/4L USM : $1,100
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM : $1,700


For stage... will you be able to get very near to the stage?

[hwchoy]

stage performances: EF 35mm ƒ/1.4L and EF 50mm ƒ/1.2L

[Michael]

Hey, I'm going to recommend the 17-55 F2.8 IS or the 16-35 F2.8L

Depends on whether you're shooting full frame or not.

However, even on a budget, I do believe you're able to make do with several cheap primes.

Mainly, 35F2, 50F1.8 and 85F1.8.

[Denosha]

Yes, go for something at least F2.8 or faster. Even with stage lighting and F2.8 you'll be pushing ISO800 (at least at the UCC). IS would be nice to have for the longer focal lengths >100mm but not totally necessary. As for focusing, I think most of the USM equipped F2.8 and faster lenses would be quick enuff. Personally i use a 17-55 F2.8 IS and 70-200 F2.8 L IS for stage events/concerts. A 35 F1.4L or 135 F2L is nice to use but not very versatile so you will probably still need the zooms in your bag (which makes for a very heavy load). As for parties, you'd probably want to use a flash since the lighting isn't as controlled as stage events.

[hwchoy]

the problem with the non-L ultra-fast primes, is flare. the 50/1.4 is great except it flares at or near wide open.

[evershine]

Update...

EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM : $1,480  ( will not fit into full frame/1.3x/Canon 5D)
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM :$2,300

EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II : $2200
EF 17-40mm f/4L USM : $1,100
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM : $1,700